Torpedo firing cane



Aprifi 17, 19349 J. A. MARS TORPEDO FIRING CANE Filed March 25, 1933 Patented Apr. 1 7, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 25,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a toy torpedo firing cane and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

Generally the invention consists in a device for firing toy torpedoes and comprises a receptacle in which a torpedo may be placed and a plunger attached to a rod arranged to be brought into sharp contact with the torpedo to cause explosion of the same inside the receptacle.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind in which the greatest amount of safety is had together with the greatest simplicity of construction.

A further object is the provision of a device of this character in which the noise-making qualities of the torpedoes are in no way impeded by the construction employed.

A still further object is the provision in a device of this kind of means for shielding the user from flying particles of gravel or other solid particles, which have always heretofore been a great menace in the use of toy torpedoes and which often cause injuries especially to the eyes of the user and bystanders.

Another and important object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind so constructed that when a torpedo is fired all the solid particles such as gravel, fragments of paper, etc. will be blown out or fall out of the firing chamber so that the chamber will not become clogged but will always be clean and ready to receive another torpedo.

Other advantages of my invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a completely assembled device, part of the handle being broken away;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the device loaded and ready to be fired, the torpedo being illustrated in dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the parts in the position they take at the moment of firing;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4.-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an elevational view partly in section of a modified form of my device; and

Figure '7 is a partial sectional View on the line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I

1933, Serial No. 662,797

have shown therein a torpedo firing device comprising a receptacle 10 which may be of any convenient shape but preferably is made of spherical form. The interior of the receptacle 10 forms a firing chamber 11. The lower end of the receptacle 10 is left open as indicated at 12 or in other words, the receptacle is in the form of an inverted cup, the purpose of which will be pointed out more fully hereafter. Arranged in the firing chamber 11 and substantially above the bottom of the receptacle is a striking plate or anvil member 13 which, in one form of my device, is shown as cast integral with the walls of the receptacle. Preferably the upper surface of the striking plate 13 is slightly rounded as indicated, particularly in Figures 2 and 3. In the arrangement shown in Figure 4, a projection 14 extends downwardly beneath the striking plate 13 and this projection extends somewhat below the lower edge of the receptacle surrounding the opening 12. The upper end of the receptacle 10 is provided with an elongated tubular or cylindrical portion 15 arranged above and in line with the striking plate 13, such tubular extension preferably being cast integral with the body of the receptacle. The cylindrical portion 15 forms a loading chamber 16 into which a torpedo may be inserted through an opening 17 in the side of such loading chamber. When a torpedo is inserted in the loading chamber it will drop by gravity into the position indicated at T in Figure 2 with the lower end thereof resting on the striking plate 13. Within the loading chamber 16 is slidably mounted a plunger or hammer 18 which is preferably frusto-conical in form, and secured to the plunger 18 is a rod or handle 19 which is slidably mounted in a neck portion 20 integral with and extending upwardly from the top of the cylindrical portion 15.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 6 and '7 the anvil member 13 is formed by a flattened or elliptical shaped rod 21 which extends across the receptacle 10 and is suitably secured in the walls thereof. Also, in this form of my device the lower edge of the receptacle around the opening 12 is provided with a series of openings or notches 22 which permit the ready escape of gases from the interior of the receptacle and permit the explosion to be heard.

In the operation of my device a torpedo is inserted into the loading chamber 16 and is permitted to drop by gravity until it rests on the striking plate or anvil member 13 or 21, the plunger or hammer being drawn upwardly to the position shown in Figure 2 when the torpedo is thus inserted. The device is then ready for firing.

The firing is accomplished by lifting the entire device by means of the handle and allowing it to drop on the ground or some solid surface such as a pavement, with the result that the plunger 18 is brought downwardly with considerable force into contact with the torpedo resting on the anvil member. This causes the torpedo to explode inside the firing chamber 11. Since the receptacle 10 is prevented from coming down entirely to the ground or pavement by means of the projection 14, the gases from the explosion can escape through the opening 12 around the lower edge of the receptacle and by reason of this opening the noise of the explosion will not be substantially muiiied. In the arrangement shown in Figures 6 and 7 the gases from the explosion may escape freely through the openings 22 which also prevent any substantial mufliing of the noise of the explosion.

In both forms of the device it will be seen that when the torpedo explodes there will be no danger from the flying particles of gravel or other solid particles, since such particles will come in contact with the interior surface of the receptacle and be deflected downwardly toward the opening 12. Furthermore, since the striking plate 13 is relatively small compared with the area of the firing chamber it is apparent that after a torpedo is fired, all the solid particles thereof, such as the gravel, fragments of paper, etc., will be forced or will drop downwardly out of the opening 12 with the result that the firing chamber is left clean and the device may be used repeatedly without any clogging of the same taking place.

My device is particularly useful with that type of toy torpedo consisting of a short section of tubing having a disc in each end thereof. This type of torpedo is very cheap to manufacture but heretofore has not proved entirely satisfactory because the discs are apt to blow out, thus producing merely a puff instead of a short report. With my device, however, the disc on one end of the torpedo rests on the striking plate or anvil member 13 and the plunger or hammer 18 engages the disc on the other end thereof so that in firing such a torpedo with my device the discs cannot be blown out of the tube, with the result that explosion or bursting of the tube takes place and a sharp quick report results. My device therefore permits the use of a cheap form of toy torpedo with satisfactory results.

It is obvious of course that various minor modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Let-- ters Patent is:

l. A torpedo firing device comprising, in combination, an inverted cup shaped receptacle open at its lower end and providing a detonating chamber therein, a firing member slidably mounted in said receptacle, said receptacle being provided with an opening for the introduction of a torpedo or the like, an anvil member secured in said chamber and having an upwardly facing firing surface adapted to cooperate with said firing member to explode the torpedo, said surface being disposed well above the open lower end of said chamber and of a relatively small area as compared with the cross sectional area of said chamber at the level of said firing surface, whereby the particles of the exploded torpedo may readily be ejected from said chamber while a dangerous lateral discharge therefrom is obviated.

2. A torpedo firing device comprising, in combination, a receptacle having a detonating chamber therein and an opening in the lower end thereof, an anvil member bridging said chamber and having an upwardly facing firing surface disposed above the bottom of said chamber, a projection extending downwardly from said anvil member, through the opening in the bottom of said receptacle, and slightly beyond the lower end of said receptacle, a tubular extension on said receptable arranged above and in line with said anvil member, and a firing pin slidably moiuited in said extension and adapted to detonate a torpedo or the like upon said anvil surface.

3. A detonating device as set forth in claim 2 in which said projection forms the lower tip end of a cane, and an elongated extenson is provided on the firing pin to provide the staff and handle portion of the cane.

4. A torpedo firing device comprising, in combination, an inverted cup shaped receptacle open at its lower end and providing a detonating chamber therein, the wall of said receptacle around said opening being provided with a plurality of notches, an anvil member secured within said receptacle and having an upwardly facing firing surface disposed well above the uppermost portions of said notches, a tubular extension on said receptacle above and in line with said plate and provided with a lateral opening for the introduct on of a torpedo or the like, and a firing pin slidably mounted in said extension, and adapted to detonate said torpedo on the firing surface of said anvil member.

JOSEPH A. MARS. 

